Mail-catcher.



W. N. AUCLAIR.

MAIL CATCHER.

APPLICATION men NOV. 10.19n5.

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WALTER N. AUOLAIR, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

MAIL-CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed April 20, 1915, Serial No. 22,697. Divided and this application filed November 10, 1915. Serial No. 60,747.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER N. AUoLAIR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county ofMultnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved mail handling apparatus and is a divisional application of the subject matter divided out of my co-pending application bearing Serial Number 22,697.

The principal object of the invention 1s to provide a mail catcher so constructed that a mail bag maybe taken from a car while ir motion, the sack being suspended from a bar releasably held in anoperative posltion beneath the carrying crane and dropped into a receptacle mounted adjacent the track as the train passes the station.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for releasably holding the carrying bars in an operative position.

Another object of the invention is to pro- 7 vide an improved type of crane arm for companying mounting the crane in the car.

carrying the supporting bar and to pro vide improved means for guiding the movement of the crane into and out of the car.

This invention is illustrated in the acdrawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view showing the mail transferring mechanism in elevation with the car shown in rear elevation and having one wall broken away to show the manner of Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the crane together with its carrying standard and guiding track.

In describingthis invention reference will be had to the carrying mechanism mounted in the mail car 10 so that the sack 11 can be connected with the carrying bar 12 while the crane arm 13 is still within the car and the crane arm then swung outwardly through the doorway of the car to a position in which the handle 14 of the trigger 15 can be engaged by the receiving mechanism to be hereinafter described. This cranearm 13 is pivotally mounted upon the bearing finger 160i thestandard 17 and is provided at its inner end portion with an extension 18 terminating in the harp 19 in which the flanged roller 20 is rotatably mounted. This roller 20 is flanged so that the flanges may be positioned above and below the track 21 which track is connected with the wall of the car by fasteners 21' as shown in Fig. 1 and supported from the roof of the car by means of the hanger 22. Therefore when the roller 20 is in place the crane arm will be guided in its swinging movement and have its inner end portion supported so that the strain will be removed from the pivot pin 23 and thus the pivot pin prevented from being bent or broken and the crane arm prevented from binding upon the bearing finger 26 which binding would tend to prevent the crane arm from moving easily.

The carrying bar 12 when in an operative position extends horizontally beneath the outer end portion of the crane arm 13 and has its inner end portion connected with the crane arm by means of the chain 12' and its outer end portion positioned upon the trigger 15 between the lips 24 of the latch 25. Therefore the carrying bar will be prevented from slipping ofi the trigger plate 15 and will be releasably held in the elevated position until the trigger is moved to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. When this trigger is moved to the dotted line position the carrying bar will be released and will drop to the position indicated by the dotted lines thus releasing the mail bag and permitting it to drop into the receptacle.

The receiving mechanism will now be de' scribed. The standard 26 of this receiving mechanism is embedded in the ground adjacent the track and is provided with an enlarged base 27 providing a firmer foundation and also providing a support for the bearing collar 28 upon which the bearing balls 29 are positioned. It is of course obvious that if desired the bearing 28 could be cast integral with the base 27 of the standard thus providing a more rigid structure. Upon this standard 26 there is rotatably mounted a sleeve 30 which carries the bowl or receptacle 31 and has its lower end portion formed into a bearing collar 32 having a track formed therein to receive the hearing balls 29. Therefore there will be no binding at the lower end portion of the receptacle and the receptacle will turn freely. The upper end portion of this sleeve is also provided with a bearing collar 33 which carries the bearing balls 34 positioned between the bearing collar of the sleeve and the bearing collar 35 adjustably mounted upon the standard above the sleeve and releasably held in an adjusted position by means of the set screw 36. By moving the bearing collar 35 upon the standard the amount of pressure placed upon the bearing balls can be regulated and through this means the freedom with which the bowl or receptacle rotates may be controlled. It is desired to have the bowl rotate when the mail bags drop into the same and in order to accomplish this there have been provided abutment plates 37 extending from the bearing collar 33 to the bottom of the bowl. As the train passes the track device the handle 14 of the trigger will strike releasing rod 38 carried by the rod 39 and the trigger will thus be moved to a position to release the carrying bar 12 and permit the sack to drop into the bowl. I11 doing so the sack will strike one of the abutment plates 37 thus causing the receptacle to rotate upon the standard 26 and take up the force of the blow received. This will prevent the contents of the mail sack-from being injured and will also pre vent danger of the mail bags being deflected and dropping upon the ground instead of into the receptacle.

From the above description the operation of the device will be readily understood, the mail clerk of course first placing the sack upon the carrying bar 12 and then swinging the crane arm outwardly to a position in which the trigger may be moved to a released position by one of the rods 38. The crane arm is of course then swung back into the mail car after the sack has been delivered. In order to permit a sack to be taken from the station a suitable collecting hook 40 of any desired type may be mounted in the doorway of the mail car and provided with a handle 41 so that it may be moved into an operative position as shown in Fig. 1.

hat is claimed is 1. In a mail handling apparatus a train device comprising a standard having its upper end portion provided with a bearing finger, a track, a crane arm pivotally connected with the bearing finger of said standard and having its inner end portion terminating in an extension provided with a harp, a flanged roller rotatably carried b said harp and engaging said track with its flanges positioned above and below the same, a latch connected with the outer end portion of said crane arm, a trigger movably connected with the outer end portion of said crane arm, and a carrying bar loosely connected with the outer end portion of said crane arm and having its free end portion positioned within said latch and upon said trigger when in an operative position.

2. In a mail handling apparatus a train device comprising a standard, a track, a crane arm pivotally connected with said standard and having its inner end portion provided with an extension terminating in a harp, a flanged roller rotatably mounted in said harl and engaging said track with its flanges positioned above and below the same, sack supporting means movably connected with the outer end portion of said crane arm, and means for releasably supporting said sack supporting means in an operative position.

3. In a mail handling apparatus a train device comprising a standard, a crane arm pivotally connected with said standard, a track, a roller rotatably connected with said crane arm and engaging said track and provided. with flanges positioned above and below said track, sack carrying means movably connected with the outer end portion of said crane arm, and means for releasably holding said sack carrying means in an operative position.

i. In a mail handling apparatus a train device comprising a support, a crane arm pivotally connected with said support, a track, a roller rotatably connected with said crane arm and engaging said track, and sack carrying means connected with said crane arm.

5. In a mail handling apparatus a train device comprising a pivotally mounted crane arm, a bearing at the outer end of said crane arm, a latch carried by said bearing and including fingers positioned beneath said crane arm, a latch pivotally connected with said bearing and extending beneath said fingers when in an operative position, and a sack carrying bar having one end portion loosely connected with said crane arm and having its free end portion positioned between said fingers and upon said latch when in an operative position.

6, In a mail handling apparatus a train devlce comprising a pivotally mounted crane arm, a latch connected with said crane arm and including fingers positioned in spaced relation, a trigger movably connected with said crane arm and positioned beneath said fingers when in an operative position, and sack carrying means loosely connected with said crane arm and having its free end portion positioned between said fingers and upon said trigger when in an operative p0? sition.

7. In a mail handling apparatus a train device including a pivotally mounted crane arm, a latch connected with said crane arm tween said fingers and upon said trigge and including fingers positioned in spaced when in an operative position. 1o relation, a trigger movably connected with In testimony whereof I affix my signasaid crane arrn and positioned beneath said ture in presence of two witnesses.

5 fingers when in an operative position, a han- WALTER N. AUCLAIR.

die for said trigger, and a sack carrying bar Witnesses: loosely connected with said crane arm and F. H. SHERMAN. having its free end portion positioned be- NELLIE A. LINKEY.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

